Instead of the usual gluttony, I spent the day at MediaBistro’s Media Circus conference adjacent to the New York Times building, catching up on all the great ways you can build an audience in the digital age. Shame no-one was completely sure exactly how you monetise this blogging business, but I was inspired by the five-figure sums that “The 4-Hour Workweek” author Tim Ferriss receives for each speaking engagement. Hmmm, maybe I’m deluding myself about my food book project and should be going to Toastmasters instead. Erm….

With the wee hours approaching, I finally got my head back into food and discovered the next book for my Amazon.com wishlist. Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows, examines how food shows have continued to survive and thrive, and gives much of the credit to the industry’s ability to keep up with the times and offer people what they’re looking for. (Here’s hoping that the Global Financial Crisis sounds the death-knell of 15-minute recipes in favour of long, long braises.) There’s also some discussion about the brilliance of legendary American TV cook, Julia Child.

For early reviews of the book, check out write-ups by The New York Times and Time magazine. It’s also worth checking out author Kathleen Collins’ blog about more current developments in the food TV world.